Gaming establishments are continually searching for new gaming systems to attract new players and hold the attention of existing players. By developing new games, the gaming establishments hope to pique existing players' interests in continued wagering and to attract new players. If players lose interest in a gaming machine, they typically will stop playing that game, which causes the gaming machine to be idle and not contribute to the revenue of the casino. In addition, interested players may tend to be more active and consistent in the play of their respective machines and consequently tend to play faster, thus enhancing the potential profit of the machine.
To keep and increase players' interest in gaming, the gaming industry has traditionally instituted a relatively short replacement cycle for its gaming machines so that the latest games and software are present on the gaming machines sitting on the facilities' floors. This requirement, coupled with the large capital expenditures necessary to acquire gaming machines, creates an environment in which gaming facilities, such as casinos, bear nearly all of the risk associated with purchasing gaming machines. Thus, gaming facilities cannot afford to have financially unproductive gaming machines sitting on their floors with outdated gaming content. Therefore, gaming facilities appreciate financial models that allow them to replace groups of unproductive gaming machines without risk and ensure that their profitability will increase for those replaced gaming machines.
FIGS. 1-3 illustrate three prior art method of leasing gaming machines. These lease methods include leasing a gaming machine for a supplier (blocks 2, 2A, 2B), wherein the supplier retains ownership of the new leased gaming machine (blocks 4, 4A, 4B). The facility then disposes the gaming machine on the gaming floor (blocks 6, 6A, 6B). In the first lease method shown in FIG. 1, the facility then pays the supplier a monthly fixed flat fee (block 8). In the second lease method shown in FIG. 2, without taking into account any other factors, the facility then pays the supplier a fixed percentage of the total amount wagered at the new gaming machine (block 8A). In the third lease method shown in FIG. 3, without taking into account any other factors, the facility pays the supplier a fixed percentage of the net win for the new gaming machine (block 8B).